USF television station could be sold in FCC auction next year

WUSF TV, a public broadcasting station in Tampa Bay, might be changing soon.

The University of South Florida's board of trustees voted Tuesday to list the television station for sale at auction next year. WUSF TV would be included in a spectrum auction hosted by the Federal Communications Commission. A sale could dictate whether the public media television station, owned by USF, will continue to broadcast its array of murder mystery, travel, history, nature and children's programs.

WUSF TV is a part of WUSF Public Media, which includes the National Public Radio Tampa affiliate. The WUSF-FM 89.7 news radio and classical WSMR-FM 89.1 station will not be included in the auction.

The FCC is hosting an "incentive auction" in April, which will solicit bids for broadcasting programs.

The decision by the board of trustees Tuesday doesn't mean the television station will go off the air or be sold just yet. USF will have the opportunity to review any and all bids made for the television station and will have the option not to accept. The vote this week is meant to explore all the options for the future of the TV station, which includes submitting the station in the auction.

Applications for the auction are open starting in November.

It's unclear how many jobs would be affected by a potential sale.

"USF continues to consider all of its options, including a channel-sharing agreement and maintaining current operations," said Lara Wade, a USF spokeswoman. "USF will make a decision consistent with our mission and in the best interest of our students, faculty, staff and the broader community."

There's only a limited amount of spectrum available to broadcasters, thus the sale of WUSF TV's share could be very valuable, said WUSF Public Media chair of the advisory board, Mark Sena.

"That doesn't mean people will buy it or that the station will cease operation," said Sena, who is also the president and managing partner of MediaSphere Partners in Tampa. "Entering a channel-sharing agreement wouldn't really change much, except for some of the digital channels. That is one possibility the (USF) board is considering."

As of July, WUSF TV logged 779,000 viewers, which was up 2 percent compared with peak fall viewership in 2014, according to a study by Trac Media Services. Of that, 260,000 viewers watch WUSF TV exclusively, meaning they do not tune in to WEDU, a PBS broadcast competitor in Tampa Bay.

WUSF Public Media, which includes the radio and television stations, accounts for more than half of the total donors who give to the university each year, the company says. USF received gifts from 47,530 donors this year, and 25,076 of those gave to WUSF Public Media.